Journal box cover



p 1935- E. R. VIBERG 2,013,224

JOURNAL BOX COVER Filed July 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 :I/ lIIIIIlIIIIIIlIll/l. ligyl Ii ELIE l II-AVIIIIIIIIIIII I NVEN TOR Ba 2 5 a ERNEST- R-VIBERG ATTORNEY I IIIlIIif/III Sept.

JOURNAL BOX COVER Filed July 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 25 II I 31 "I 953 17 ea 20 3a E0 INVENTOR i8 ERNES'HERMIBERQ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 3, 1935 U {TED 'i OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to journal box covers and more particularly to improvements in articulated covers of the kind disclosed in my co- 7 pending application Serial No. 653,870, filed Jan- 5 uary 2'7, 1933.

In the above mentioned application I have disclosed a journal box cover assembly comprising alid member adapted to fit against the front face of the journal box over the opening therein, a

10 hood member forming a hinged connection between the journal box lug and the lid member which permits the latter to have a limited movement in all directions in order to ensure complete closure of the journal box opening, and

15 a lid closing spring housed between the lid and the hood member adapted to react against the journal box lug and the lid to hold the latter in either a closed or an open position.

The principal object of the present invention 29 is to improve the connection between the hood and lid members so that the latter is permitted to have greater freedom of angular movement about an axis passing vertically therethrough and is thus adapted to better adjust itself to irregu- 5 larities in the machining of the face portions of the journal box lying at opposite sides of the opening therein.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of a journal box cover assembly constructed in accordance with this in- 35 vention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the assembly appearing in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the cover assembly showing it applied to a journal box, the

4 section through the cover assembly being substantially along the line 33 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. In this view certain parts that would otherwise appear have been omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view along the line 55 of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 'fi5 of Fig. 1.

so As shown in these drawings my improved cover assembly comprises a lid I a hood l2, a lid closing torsion spring l3 and a shoe M.

The lid comprises a cast metal plate adapted, as shown in Fig. 3, to fit against the front face 55 of the journal box l5 over the journal box opening IS. The outer face of the lid is provided with an integral pocket presenting a front wall li, an inclined bottom wall l8 and a pair of end walls is, the upper portion of the front wall ll being provided with a central inwardly pro- 5 jecting lug 22. The inner edge of this lug is transversely curved to provide a bearing surface 2| overlying a recess 22 in the outer surface of the lid.

The hood 2 comprises a front wall 23, a top wall 24, a bottom wall 25 and a pair of side walls 2 6. The upper portions of the side walls 26 are provided with integral pintle receiving sleeves 21 and 28 aligned with the pintle openings of the journal box lug 29 to receive the hinge pintle 30. The pintle receiving sleeve 21 is herein shown as provided with a stop flange 21a for engagement with one end of the pintle while the companion sleeve 28 is fitted with a tubular retainer 3| having tongue extensions 32 adapted to be bent inwardly over the adjacent end of the pintle. This method of securing the pintle in place is more fully described in my co-pending application Serial No. 651,749, filed January 14, 1933, now Patent No. 1,957,087.

The lower portion of the hood is reduced in width as indicated at |2a to fit between the end walls I9 of the lid pocket overlying the recess 22. A portion of the bottom wall of the hood is offset to provide a bearing portion 25a which is fitted in the outwardly facing lid recess 22. The edge surface of the bearing portion 25a opposed to the bottom wall of the recess 22 is curved as indicated at 34. The opposite or outer edge surface of said bearing portion is opposed to but 35 spaced from the curved surface 2| of the lug 20. Said bearing portion 25a is also provided with two outwardly projecting lugs 25b and 25c located adjacent its opposite ends and adapted to be positioned below and at opposite sides of the lug 20 when said bearing portion is fitted in the lid recess 22.

The lid closing spring 3 comprises two coils 35 and 36 having their inner convolutions connected by an intermediate U-shaped extension which bears against the shoe M to hold it engaged with the journal box lug 2|]. The outer convolutions of the spring coils are extended downwardly outside the side walls of the hood to provide a pair of side arms 31. The lower ends of these side arms 31 are bent inwardly to provide horizontal pivots 38 which are passed through openings in the end walls l9 of the lid pocket and fitted between the curved surface 2| of the pocket lug 2|] and the opposing surface of the bearing portion 25a afforded by the bottom wall of the hood. It will thus be seenthat the portions 38 of the spring serve to secure the bearing portion 25a in the lid recess 22, in addition to affording horizontal pivots about which the lid H is adapted to swing relative to the hood l2. It will also be seen that the curved surface of the bearing portion 25a opposed to the bottom wall of the lid recess 22 permits the lid to rock about what may be termed a substantially central vertical axis lying at right angles to the pivotal axis afforded by the spring terminals 3B.

The front wall 23 of the hood is curved to provide a fulcrum pocket 4% in which the spring coils 35 and 36 are seated so that the spring pressure is applied to the center portion of the lid through the side arms 31 and to the journal box lug 20 through the U-shaped extension 36a and the shoe 14. This shoe I4 includes a curved shank I4a provided at its lower end with trunnion extensions 42 fitted in the spring coils so thatthe shoe is thusmounted to have a slight pivotal movement with respect to said coils. At its upper end the shank Ma is provided with a forwardly projecting flange 43 having a vertical opening 44 in line with a similar opening 45 in the shank. At the juncture of the shank Ma and the flange 43 the shoe is shaped to'provide a flat face 44a adapted to ride the fiat angularly related cam faces 46 and 41 of the journal box lug and to co-operate with said cam faces for holding the lid in either its open or closed position. The flange 43 forms with the curved surface of the shank a recess 48 in which the bight portion of the ,U-shaped spring extension 3600 is fitted to hold the shoe engaged with the journal box lug. The shoe openings 44 and 45 are adapted, at times, to be brought into registration with an opening 49 in the top wall of the hood so that a retaining pin (not shown) may be passed through all of said openings to secure the shoe in a retracted position during application and removal of the cover assembly.

The foregoing method of constructing and mounting the shoe :4 is not specifically claimed herein since it constitutes a separate invention covered by a co-pending application Serial No. 695,875, filed October 30, 1933.

The hood lugs 50 serve in co-operation with the lid casings 5| to limit relative pivotal movement of the lid and hood about the pivotal axis afforded by the spring terminals 38. They also serve as connecting means between the lid and hood which prevents complete separation of these parts in case the spring terrninals38 are accidentally broken off. This construction is more particularly described in my co-pending application Serial No. 653,870, filed January 2?, i933 and forms no part of the present invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:-

1. An articulated cover assembly for journal boxes comprising a lid member, a hood member overlying the upper portion of the lid member, said hood member having an offset bottom wall portion bearing against the outer surface of the lid, a pocket cast integral with the lid and presenting a front wall overlying the said ofiset portion of the hood and provided with an inwardly extending lug terminating in spaced relation to said offset portion and a U-shaped spring mounted between the lid and hood members with the arms of the spring extending downwardly along the outer surfaces of the side portions of the hood, the lower ends of said arms being bent inwardly toform pivots fitting between the offset lower wall portion of, the hood and the aforesaid lug.

2. An articulated cover assembly for journal boxes comprising a lid having a pocket cast integral therewith, said pocket presenting a front wall spaced from the outer surface of the lid and provided with an inwardly projecting lug over lying a recess in the outer surface of the lid, a hood overlying the upper portion of the lid comprising a front wall, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls, the side walls of the hood being provided With pintle receiving sleeves adapted to be aligned with the pintle openings of the journal box lug and the bottom wall of thehood being provided with an offset bearing portion fitted in the lid recess, and a U-shaped spring mounted between the lid and hood with the arms of the spring extending downwardly outside the side walls of the hood, said arms having their lower ends bent inwardly and fitted between the offset bottom wall portion of the hood and the aforesaid lug.

3; An articulated cover assembly for journal boxes comprising a lid having a pocket cast inper portion of thelid and having a bottom wall,

provided with an offset portion fitted in the lid recess, and a U-shaped spring mounted between the lid and hood with the arms of the spring extending downwardly along the outer side surfaces of the hood, the lower ends of said arms being bent to form pivots facing inwardly through the side walls of the lid pocket and fitted between the lug of said pocket and the offset lower wall portion'of the hood in orderto secure the latter in said recess and to provide a pivot permitting relative movement of the lid and hoodabout an axis lying midway between and parallel with the upper and lower edges of the lid. 7

4. An articulated journal box cover assembly comprising and member, a hood member overlying the upper portion of the lid member, the bottom portion of said hood member being formed to present a bearing portion fitted in an outwardly facing recess formed in the lid member, the surtion insaid recess, saidmeans forming a pivotal connection between the lid and hood members which permits the lid 'to swing about a pivotal axis lying parallel with its upper and lower edges.

5. An articulated journal box cover assembly as claimed in claim l in which the means for retaining said bearing portion in said recess and forming the aforesaid pivotal connection comprises a U-shaped spring mounted between the lid and hood members with the arms of the spring extending downwardly along the sides of the hood member and terminating in inturned pivotal projections rotatably fitted between the said bear.- ing portion of the hood and an overlying portion of the lid. r

6. An articulated cover assembly for journal boxes comprising a lid member, a hood member overlying the upper portion of the hood member, said hood member having an offset bottom wall portion presenting a curved surface bearing against the bottom of an outwardly facing recess formed in the lid member, said lid member being rockable on said curved surface about an axis lying between and parallel with its side edges, a pocket cast integral with the lid and presenting a front wall provided with an inwardly extending lug overlying the said oifset portion of the hood member and a U-shaped spring mounted between the lid and hood members with the arms of the spring extending downwardly along the side portions of the hood, the lower ends of. said arms being bent inwardly to form pivots fitting between said offset lower wall portion of the hood and the aforesaid lug.

7. An articulated cover assembly as claimed in claim 6 in which the said pocket includes a pair of side walls lying between the arms of the spring and provided with openings through which the bent lower ends of said arms are passed into position between the offset lower wall portion of the hood and the overlying lug of the pocket.

ERNEST R. VIBERG. 

